Welcome to MAY HILL’S AMAZING WWII DIARIES AND POETRY

– LOST, FORGOTTEN AND FOUND…

A personal story of lives and losses of loved ones of serving men and women…

May Hill’s previously quiet English seaside village became an unwitting target for enemy aircraft, her only son a young volunteer in the RAF, her husband a Coastguard, and close family members early casualties. In rare moments of peace from ‘her own old enemy’ she became devoted to writing.

Decades later, a fading old school exercise book, found hidden away in a forgotten drawer, began a family project of search and research. When, after several more years, the final cache of ‘missing’ diaries unexpectedly came to light, so did a wonderful surprise collection of May’s original poetry.

The publication in 2009 of ‘The Casualties Were Small’, a compilation of May’s poetry with a related selection of diary extracts, attracted many enthusiastic responses from a wide readership, from junior school students to ninety-plus retired seniors, in Britain and worldwide … ‘Truly a living history, life of the times as it unfolded … a very emotional journey for me personally … a remarkable woman, very brave and sensitive … May’s poems are touching, nostalgic, angry at times … her deep faith shines through in all her writing … completely engrossing and I have to admit to shedding a tear when I came to the end’.

Subsequently we, the children and grandchildren of May Hill, presented online this whole sequence of May’s wartime diaries in the form of a blog ‘Seventy Years On’. Launched on 27th November 2010, it commenced with the first preserved diary entry dated 27th November 1940.

The blog is now complete and preserved here as an archive. We are sure this will fascinate you. If you have discovered this for the first time, please read an introduction to May Hill & family before you begin – and then the first blog posting.

 HINT – If you click a link, you can RETURN to this site using the BACK (<) BUTTON of your browser.

You may wish to download the 4 low-cost KINDLE volumes containing the entire blog contents for easy offline reading and reference – using Kindle e-reader, tablet, smartphone or PC (free Kindle apps available for all). See NEWS COLUMN on the left of this site.

4 KINDLE volumes of 'An RAF Mother's WWII Diary Blog'

The printed book (poems, selected Diary extracts and photographs) ‘The Casualties Were Small’ is also still available and might make a nice present for yourself or a friend! See NEWS column as above, click on the cover image below for more details or simply telephone Ambridge Books on 01394 385412 to order (UK).

The Casualties Were Small

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